Happy Canada Day from Aus!! {+ our previous week to Byron Bay}

Tuesday, JULY 1^st!

Sitting out on my balcony with the warmest, most golden early 8am sun, with Dierks Bentley & my first Bilpin Original Cider, cheersing YOU, CANADA!! And I am so happy to just sit here, in my maple leaf bikini, drinking to the ‘winter’ sun from the other end of the planet here. These mornings are perfect. It’s honestly like my own little universe out here on this balcony, I could live here! Surrounded by greenery, palm trees, potted plants, those kinds of rooftops you only see in little tropical towns, the bluest, clearest sky overhead, this sun (I can’t stress enough), beating down on my skin <3

A perfect morning to go back and recap the last (craziest!) week of my world here.

Monday, June 23^rd & Tuesday June 24^th
Regular days of work 11-3 & packing up the house before Byron! We got on the road to retrieve our 4^th passenger around 3pm. We spent our first night in Gorokon (“Go Rock On!!”) with a lady from an art retreat and her wonderfully accommodating family. These ladies are introduced to us as, ‘the women who used their knitting needles to sort their weed & pack their Js’ haha – fantastic. The most incredible homemade dinner, so much food & dessert & sure enough, an after-dinner smokey treat. Bogan Hunters & spaghetti blood (lawwwwll), a great first night on the road!

Wednesday is a stop in Nambucca Heads for fish & chips, ice cream, wandering the long, magical kms of graffiti rock faces. Everything from school field trip art projects to political or religious propaganda to marriage proposals to RIP commemorations; it is such a special slow wander through complete strangers’ memories and professions and promises, hopes & dreams – it is something else.

Next stop: Coffs Harbor & The Big Banana! …which is not in fact as big as anticipated (or even positioned as imagined, lol) but nonetheless it is a sight worth seeing for this lover of all things banana-flavoured! We snapped the classic banana shots, creeped around the gift shop and then hopped back on the road. Even made it through a spontaneous roadside ride program with our smoky souvenirs on board! Googling recipes all the way to Byron.

Thursday, “Welcome to Byron Bay! Cheer up, slow down, chill out” 

The most perfect city sign for our incredible day of sunshine, surfers, head stands, back bends, sand wrestling, swimming, being serenated by local hippies on their ukuleles, surrounded by dozens and dozens of people soaking up this fantastic “winter” weather (as a Canadian native, that word in this country’s context will forever live in quotations).

There is something even more spectacular about inversions in the surf, seeing the world from upside down, feeling all of the blood rush to your heart and your head, nothing at all in your mind except the sound of the ocean rushing in from behind you, never knowing exactly when it will reach your palms, your brow, or how quickly it will swallow up your base formation. Nothing in this world makes me feel so alive.

We made it back to our private beach in Pottsville for last light, letting every shade of pastel blend together all of our smiles and squeals and sighs from a truly satisfying Byron experience. Before our early morning departure, our evening is spent in pajamas, sipping wine, emersed in good conversation about all things pop culture, favourite books, travel dreams – inspired by the showing of Eat Pray Love on TV. Another phenomenal host, more incredible food, and even sweeter souvenirs (which lie in wait in my freezer, lol). We fall asleep in giggles over fairies & snapchat captions.

Friday, June 27^th from Pottsville to Nimbin (lol), we make it to this technicoloured town right as shops are opening; 10am & already getting hustled to pick up. The whole city smells like Amsterdam and my heart is briefly flooded by that nagging familiar sensation of truly missing Europe, knowing I did not make the most of that adventure in particular. But we revel in these organic, unfortunately over-priced touristy shops. The colours and the fabrics and the sweet pastries; our trip home has definitely started on a high note! ;) Old school John Mayer sings us to Evans Head for the most gorgeous of lunch spots: an old restored church, white panel siding, coral pink doors, high ceilings, great food, catching some lunchtime rays.

The rest of the day is a blur of interchanging playlists, playing musical [car]chairs, stopping for quick peeks at surrounding secluded beaches, or for McFlurries. Krystiebabes should win some sort of award for driving so many consecutive hours without complaining even once! While putting up with the surrounding hyper, pent-up stir-crazy passengers! She’s the best. But it is so nice to make it home! Even if that daunting (/panicky) task of packing and cleaning and moving instantly settles over us. It’ll be a long, tiring weekend!

Saturday, July 28^th – my first shift manning the bar! I never knew I’d enjoy (so much) getting to wear tight black clothes, bright red lips, high boots, full makeup, and a perma smile for 5 hours of popping bottles, pouring wine, mixing cocktails, tamping late night espresso. I adored it and of course I’m kicking myself for not getting into bartending sooner! Utterly exhausted after a full day of moving and a full night of money-making! Sleepy smiles tonight :)

Sunday, July 29^th

Crouching here on my bedroom floor (my new bedroom floor), in child’s pose, breathing deep after my 28 minute run home from the Bikram studio (85% of which is incline), feeling so accomplished, so wonderfully exhausted, like I put in such an honest hard day’s work today. Up at 8am for my 6 hours at Mango (I served a 20-person table!), then straight to Bikram for Yin yoga + 1.5 hours of cleaning the studio ~ actually so enjoyable, haha. Me & Kip Moore vacuumed & mopped & air freshened and then used the bike, lifted weights, & took advantage of the empty studio for some Jillian Michaels-inspired cardio. The Aussie winter air felt great on my muscles and in my lungs the whole jog home. The first thing I did when I got home here, upon pure natural instinct (because it has been over 30 hours since the last time I was upside down) was headstand for 2 solid minutes. And now here I am, still on my bedroom floor, savoring this feeling of accomplishment.

Listening to my new roommates & other Christian Aussie buds making their way through season 1 of Orange is the New Black (lolllll, their reactions.)

10pm,

I think having just flipped my Tinder settings to ‘Show Me: Males and Females’ is something significant enough to write about (I’d say).

I’m curious, that’s easy enough to admit. I’m curious and I’m so keen on discovering all of my worldly curiosities these days. Plus, the obsession I have with mere human interaction (of absolutely all sorts) leads me to this ‘preference settings’ change. It’s been a wonderful hour flipping through this catalogue of beautiful young ladies! Everything from ‘Looking for a 3^rd…’ to ‘Don’t send me tit shots, I’m in this for the realdeal,’ lol. And suddenly I’m flipping, thinking, is she my type? … Am I into blondes? … She would be way too intense for a first go. … I don’t think I’d be as shy around her. … She’d probably let me admit it was my first time on a date with a girl … I’m not that keen on boys with aggressive tattoos, but what about on her? … And then, without even really realizing it, I swipe right on Alicia, and wouldn’t you know, “It’s A Match!”

Lol, and so I think the only thing that is sort of strange about all of this (while I’m sure you all have a dozen things to claim), is how regular it feels. I’m not any more shy or nervous or resistant or anxious engaging in this conversation at all. She’s gorgeous, and she’s well-traveled, and her entire bio is made up of emojis! (insert A-Ok emoji) So I keep flipping through and it keeps feeling more and more like something I might actually be way more interested in pursuing than I originally thought (and to be honest, since this is heaps more honest that I even intended the post to be lol, I had always imagined myself going through a phase. Is that offensive? To call it a phase? Is that ignorant? To assume it would just be a phase if I’d already been so sure of at least that? Lol, AM I A LESBIAN!? Hahah).

Anyway. That is all of my food for thought for now. Lol, happy Sunday, y’all!

Monday, June 30^th  ~ 1 month Aus-iversary!!

Hurray! I am so proud of myself for making it a whole month without a single panic, not a single tear or serious stress! No second-guessing, no what-ifs, nothing but gratitude and positivity. I can’t believe it’s been a whole month since my lungs last inhaled Canadian air! Since those ‘see you later’s, since that final life-shifting late night in my home bedroom. But I also can’t believe it’s only been one month! How!? I already feel so confident and so comfortable here, like I’ve come to call this place ‘home’ for many many more months than just one. I think the equal balance of those two juxtaposed claims is quite fitting for this here adventure. I spent today on my newest favourite place in the world: my new apartment’s balcony. Gorgeous, high above the palm trees, just big enough for a handful of potted plants, a couple of patio chairs, my yoga mat. I practiced my own early morning routine, which always ends with spending some quality time upside down.

I had lunch at my restaurant; pumpkin walnut salad with a mango lassie (July: my month of no fast-food! I trust that how solo I will be this month will ensure this). I venture to Woolys to restock my food supply, I organize & deliver my second lesson for my year 9 student, I make my way to the Harvest Market for fresh fruits & veggies & then finally make the long, late, uphill trek back home here. My evening was a wonderful slow unpack, 8tracks-ing all of the latest country music I’m missing out on from back home, hanging photographs, organizing my closet & my little artistic passion projects (with my new desk!! Finally!!! It’s beautiful!). I got to FaceTime both of my very bests today too! Such wonderful catch-ups with those gorgeous girls (who I miss just absolutely ridiculously). A fantastic start to another busy week!

Happy long weekend to all of those I love dearest back home. Some days, and during this weekend in particular, I do find myself still wishing I might wake up in the Bunkie at the cottage, or open my eyes sitting in a dock chair, with a cold Caesar or Somersby rocket next to my toes, a game of cribbage to my left, in between me & a smiley summer boy.  

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And now I shall shower & prep for an afternoon of patio hoping & an evening of bar crawling with my suto-Canadian bestie in celebration around town here! Happy Day, Canadians! Love & miss you so!! Xo